Iiarlan page colby



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARLAN PAGE COLBY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE OOLBY VAGON COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

VEHICLE-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 425,984, dated April 22, 1890.

Application iiled January 29, 1890. Serial No. 338,514. (No model.)

To all tali/om t may concern:

Be it known that I, HABLAN PAGE COLBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michi gan, have invented certain new and usef nl Improvements in Vehicles-Springs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specieation.

My invention relates to vehicles; and it consists in a spring of a certain shape and conformation arranged between the end of the axle and the body-bolster.

The object of my invention is to insure a direct vertical movement of the bolster when the springs are compressed, to permit the side portions of the spring to pass down on either side of the axle when necessary, and to be able to fasten the ends of the springs rigidly and yet to give freedom of movement to the bolster, all as hereinafter set forth and particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of an aXle and bolster provided with my improved springs. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line a1 y, Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the right-hand spring shown in Fig. 1.

The axle A maybe a bent or cranked axle, as shown in full lines, or straight, as indicated by the dotted lines. The bolster B may be of any desired construction. The springs O are rigidly fastened to the ends of the axle and bolster' by ordinary clips D D', respectively, Fach spring is double, and is preferably made from a single rod of resilient metal. The rod is doubled upon itself at c, forming a closed loop long enough to give the clip D a iirm hold thereon, as shown, and to allow the spring to be longitudinally adj usted upon the axle. The two portions of the rod then diverge slightly, and each is turned upwardly and coiled two or three times, forming helical spring portions o c on each side and in line with each other. The rods then curve downward and backward on either side of the closed loop c, passing parallel to each other to points lying in the same plane as or somewhat below the plane of the closed loop c. They then proceed upward, forming the reversed curves c2 c2, and are coiled into helical spring port-ions c3 c3, lying in line with each other and at about the same height as the coils c c', or slightly above them. The tangential portions of the rods are then brought together and formed into a closed loop c4, which preferably lies parallel with the loop c, but in a different plane, and serves as a point of attachment for the upper clip D. The lower sides of the coils c c rest on the axle, while the upper sides of the coils c3 c3 are held up against the upper side of the bolster. This gives the spring a iirm support and relieves the closed loops c ci of any twisting strain. The side portions c2 ci are tangent to the coils c c at the top and to the coils c3 c3 at the rear side. Although compression of the spring tends to change these tangential points, carrying them toward each other around the line of the coils, yet the reversed curves c2 or3 of the side portions permit this to be done without shortening the distance between the centers ofthe coils c e3, since the reversed curves tend to straighten out under the strain and thus compensate for the disposition of the coils c"3 to move in a circular are around the axis of the coils c. This compensating feature is of great importance, inasmuch as it allows an easy vertical movement of the bolster that is impossible where the side portions of the spring are straight, since in that case the spring at one end of the axle acts directly against the spring at the other end, both trying to move in opposing arcs. In case of excessive compression, or when a straight axle is used, the sides c2 of the spring can pass down on either side of the axle.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l. The combination, with an axle and a bolster, of two springs, each having a coil at cach end, said coils bein g united by a reversed curved portion and lying at substantially the same level, and having each a tangential portion, by which one coil is fastened to the axle IOO and the other to the bolster, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with an axle and a bolster, of two springs rigidly fastened thereto, each having the helical coils c c c3 c3, and the side portions c2 c2, uniting the outer ends of the coils in a reversed curve and adapted to pass down on either side of the axle, substantially as described.

3. A vehicle-spring consisting,` of a closed loop c, the helical coils c c', the parallel side i portions c2 c2, forming reversed curves, the

helical coils c3 c3, and the closed loop c4, lying in a different plane froni the loop c, substair' x5 tially as described.

4. The Vehicle-spring,` C, consisting,` of the closed loop c, the helical coils c c', inline with each other, the parallel side portions c2 c2, tangential to the coils c c at their tops and forining reversed curves, the helical coils c3 cl3, to which the side portions are tangential at their rear sides, and Jthe closed loop c4, parallel with the loop c, but in a different plane, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HABLAN PAGE COLBY.

Witnesses:

LINcoLN B. LIVINGSTON, HENRY E. CHASE. 

